> The Dark Can Change a Lot. > by Superblox > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Beginning... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1- A Dark Turn It was a wonderful afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the plants were growing… But not all was well in a rather large, lush valley. In the center of the beautiful area of wildlife, stood a large mansion, with a baby blue paint style. It stood tall, being three stories, windows showing that there were many rooms inside. Suddenly, the oak door was slammed open, a light gray mare with a pearly white mane that curled to caress her face stormed out. Her wings ruffled, her long white tail swishing side to side in annoyance. She shouted angrily, “Emerald, Ruby, stay put while I find your sister!” She glared at the opening of the mansion, where a young green colt with a messy blue mane and coat stood, a smaller red filly sitting beside him, struggling to see behind her dark pink mane that constantly got in her face. “Mom, I’m sorr-” The colt began, but was cut off by the irritated voice of the mare. “Save the apologies for later! Right now, I need to find your sister. Just… Stay put, alright? The last thing I need is another foal of mine missing.” The mare’s dark purple eyes glared at the two, then sighed, deciding that she had spent long enough berating her kids. She quickly took flight, heading above the natural walls of the valley. The colt sighed. “I can’t believe I let Sapphire walk out of my sight… Now she’s who knows where..!” The filly patted his shoulder. “It’s okay Emrald, Mommy will find Sapphie…” The filly’s light pink eyes then became bright. “Ooh, ooh! I have an idea! Why don’t we go help find Sapphie? We’ll be really stealthy, like ninjas! Hi yah!” The filly made an adorable display, attempting to stand on one of her hind hooves while using the other to kick, but ended up falling on her flank. The now named Emerald chuckled. “I dunno Ruby, it might be dangerous… And besides from that, Mom said to stay here. We could get in trouble!” Ruby giggled. “Then we’ll need to be extra stealthy! Whee!” With that, the little filly ran out of the house, giggling. Emerald shouted after her, “Hey, get back here Ruby!” He then sighed, shaking his head when he saw that she wasn’t listening. “She will be the end of me one day… Wait up!” Emerald quickly chased after his younger sister, knowing he’d be in even more trouble if he left his other sister to wander around by herself. After sliding down the outer slope of the valley, the two foals ran in the general direction their mother flew off to. Soon, they saw her walk into a dense forest, seeming to follow a trail. The two looked at each other, then quietly walked in after her, feeling worried. After all, the forest was a dangerous, untamed place… But the two foals paid no head to this. The two silently trotted after their mother, making sure to stay out of sight. They may be young, but they were somewhat used to sneaking off to somewhere. Soon, the followed their mom to an ancient looking temple, barely recognizable through the vines and vegetation covering the old stone that made up the large structure. As she entered the strange building, the children looked at each other with worry and fear, then began to follow… Until they were interrupted by a loud growl. The foals looked around with panic, suddenly noticing the many pairs of yellow glowing orbs hidden in the growth of plant life around them. They backed up, becoming scared as they realized exactly what had been following them… Timberwolves. Vicious wolves made out of wood and other sorts of plant matter that were surprisingly carnivorous. They turned to run, but found their path blocked as the twiged monstrosities came out of the foliage, surrounding them. It seemed that all was over for them… That is, until suddenly, one of the timberwolves was struck by what seemed to be a black tendril. This set the rest of the timberwolves to high alert as their friend was destroyed with a single strike. The rest attempted to attack the offending tendril, but ended up with the same fate as the first. The children looked at it with fear, until they heard something that sounded like a devilish voice, ¨GO NOW, LITTLE ONES. THEY WILL REVIVE THEMSELVES SOON ENOUGH. HURRY, FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE SOON TO FACE A HORRIBLE FATE...¨ Emerald and Ruby needed no further coaxing as they rushed off into the temple, fearing for their lives. After a moment, the voice sighed, as the tendril retracted, assumedly back to who or what it came from. ¨LET’S HOPE THEY ARE SAFE...¨ The voice that spoke quietly to itself, and a rustle of leaves and bushes signified the being’s departure. Nothing was left to show anypony was there, except for the remains of Timberwolves as they began to float, trying to rebuild themselves. Meanwhile, inside of the temple the two foals were quickly trying to find where their mom went. Soon, they got back on track as they found a recently trotted path that most likely belonged to her. After a few minutes, they managed to catch up, following her in the hopes of figuring out what was happening. The slightly claustrophobic hallway they traveled down began to open up to a large chamber. One would think it to be some sort of courtroom, as there were many stone seats set in a square, with a single seat in the center. What made the situation interesting, however, was that there was a black, amorphous orb floating high above the center of the room. Even the two kids that weren’t skilled in magic yet could feel the ultimate power coming from it… As well as the evil radiating from it. The most alarming part was that a young filly about the size of Ruby floated near the orb. She had a sky blue coat, with a ruffled darker blue mane and tail. Her eyes were closed, showing that she was unconscious, as the energy the orb was giving off seemed to be seeping into her little body. The mother shouted angrily, the horn on her head glowing a dark purple. “HEY! PUT MY DAUGHTER DOWN!” Despite the anger coming from her, the orb kept going, as if it hadn’t heard her. She glared, and decided to fire a warning shot. A beam of dark purple magic shot at the orb, but not even 5ft. from the orb, the magic seemed to be absorbed into the orb. It showed no indication that anything had happened. This caused the white mare to growl. She was becoming rather upset that a powerful spell didn’t even phase the dark being. Just as she began to prepare for another assault, the filly’s body began to glow as it started to change. Her body grew in size, until it was nearly twice the size of the white mare, and then the glow faded, revealing the previous filly’s new form. She was now a very tall mare with long legs, her coat, mane, and tail becoming darker shades of blue than they were before, her mane and tail looking ethereal and flowing in an invisible wind. Her eyes opened, revealing a violet eye that had a reptilian pupil. She grinned down at the mare below her with razor sharp teeth. She began to cackle, her voice laced with power. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!” Her mother stared with fear. “S-Sapphire..! What happened to you?!” Sapphire simply chuckled. “Oh, I have only gained extreme power, mother… And now, I shall begin to gather my strength to rule this pathetic world! ...Starting with you!” She laughed in sick glee as her horn glowed with a black magic, similar to the orb above her, which was now much smaller. Sapphire shot a beam of magic at her mother, causing her to scream and writhe in agony, as her dark purple magic seemed to be getting ripped from her body. The little foals watched in horror as they witnessed this, knowing it would be very painful to do this to a pony. The magic slowly flowed into Sapphire, who was grinning with animosity. After a few seconds, the flow stopped, and her mother collapsed onto the stone floor, unable to support herself. “Now that I have had the main course, it’s time that I get rid of the competition before you regain your magic…!” Sapphire’s horn glowed again, and in a bright flash, her mom was no longer there. “MOMMY!” Shouted little Ruby, horrified with what she just witnessed, Emerald immediately covering her mouth with his hoof. Alas, it was too late as Sapphire turned her attention towards the fillies standing in the entrance to the chamber. “Ah, my ‘older’ siblings, how wonderful of you to join me… After all, it’s about time that I stretch my limbs, so to speak…” The foals stared at her with fear, terrified of what was to happen to them. “Now to figure out what I want to do with my new strength… Death would be too cliché… Banishment to one of the celestial bodies in the sky would be unimaginative… Ah ha! I got it! Perhaps a few hundred years of being stone ought to do the trick…” Sapphire chuckled darkly as her horn glowed again. Before they could do anything, Ruby disappeared from Emerald’s side, causing him to panic. “W-What did you do to my sister?!” Sapphire simply grinned. “I separated the both of you… Especially since I can’t have you two ganging up on me later on…” She laughed again, and the last thing Emerald saw was a beam of black heading right towards him… > The Walk > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2- The Walk Emerald jolted awake, panting. He looked around himself before sighing. “I must have fallen asleep again… Oh well, I need to make up for some lost time..!” With that, he slowly stood up, wincing slightly at how rough it was to move. It had been many years- Nine hundred ninety seven to be accurate- since he had been turned to stone by Sapphire, his former sister. Despite her threat to take over the world, she seemed to be inactive for a majority of the time. He had never heard of anything truly happening aside from the usual that happened. You may now be asking yourselves, ‘But how is he able to move if he’s stone?’ Well, you’d be partly correct, as he has been cursed to be frozen by day, and to walk by night. Though, despite his stone form, he seemed to be allowed to grow, if only slowly. By now, he would look to be the size of an average stallion that was fully grown. But that could also be because of the whole ‘Alicorn’ thing. Ya know, the whole ‘Immortal’ stuff. Though he personally didn't like to make a big deal about it. Anyway, back on track! Emerald stretched as he finished his inner musings, deciding he should get moving. The moon was at it’s peak, and would slowly go down, so he had to move fast if he didn't want to be a random statue in the wilderness. Who knew what could happen to him? For all he knew, he could be shattered by a random predator. He was only stone, after all. Plenty of beasts in Equestria could easily break him… Emerald quickly trotted down the dirt road in silence. He needed to go fast if he wanted to reach the town by dawn. Ponyville, if he remembered correctly. He soon found himself in front of a large, densely packed forest that held a sense of dread to it. Emerald frowned at the wooded area suspiciously. He had heard of the infamous Everfree Forest, which had unpredictable weather, uncontrollable animals, and other dangerous flora and fauna. He knew one thing, though: If he took the time to go around the forest, it’d be morning before he even got to town. There was only one fast way to get there… Walk through the forest. Gathering his courage, Emerald stepped into the forest, hoping that he’d be safe. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ This was a bad idea. Emerald hadn't spent but a minute in the forest before being chased by Timberwolves. He wouldn't have been to scared if he hadn't witnessed the very same Timberwolves be destroyed by a large beast that had the body and head of a lion, the wings of a bat or dragon, and the stinger of a scorpion. This caused him to run for his life, scared out of his right mind. So much so that he didn't even notice the large tree that he was heading towards, neither did he notice the door that he slammed straight into as he fell unconscious /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Zecora had been having a lovely night so far. Not only did she successfully create a soothing tea to sleep with, but she had gathered all of the ingredients for her potions without a hitch. No dangerous beasts stalking her, no accidental picking of carnivorous plants, no accidentally touching the Poison Joke again. Just a nice day that ended happily. Of course, all good things come to an end. Especially when a loud knock on your door wakes you up from some nice beauty sleep. > A New Friend > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3- A New Friend? “Nngh…” Emerald grunted as he slowly came to… He slowly sat up, looking around at the strange area he was in. Why was he in a room that looked like he was inside a tree? And what was with all the masks and voodoo stuff? He then noticed that he was in a bed, which he knew was comfortable, despite his stone skin. Emerald hummed, then carefully got up, looking around. Judging by the window, it was either still night, or he had been out for a whole day and half a night. He looked around the room more thoroughly, and spotted a mirror pinned to the wall. He approached it curiously, finding that he was still the same. Though, he noticed that his snout was cracked, as if it had been broken, and Emerald could faintly smell hot glue… Did his nose break, and did somepony fix it? He frowned. If a pony had found him, why had they taken him in as if he were a true pony, and fixed his nose? He would’ve expected to be in the middle of the room, put there to be examined and studied. Though, he didn’t complain about the kindness he had been showed by now. Emerald looked around, then slowly walked around the tree house a bit. He began to notice more things he didn’t originally see. Such as the boiling pot of green liquid in the center of the room. As he looked around, Emerald couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was the home of a Zebra. They were known for their brews, and their more nature-based homes. He was soon interrupted by a voice behind him. “Ah, so the pony of stone awakes, from a slumber that hopefully was not of high stakes.” Emerald turned around, slightly startled, but calmed himself as he stared at the Zebra who spoke to him. She had her mane in a Mohawk, her tail long and straight. She had gold hoop earrings, as well as many golden bracelets on both of her front legs. She had a sort of tribal sun as her cutie mark on her flank. Emerald smiled a little. “Hello… I’m guessing you took me in..?” Zecora nodded. “Of course stone one. I would never leave a pony, artificial or not, alone.” Emerald coughed a little. “Er, you can call me Emerald… And I’m not exactly supposed to be stone… I was transformed by a dark entity… And it sucks.” Zecora seemed a little intrigued. “Tell me Emerald, what darkness could this herald?” She asked with slight worry in her voice. Emerald sighed. “Well..” With that, he slowly began to describe what happened. All that he could remember, anyway… After all, he was only a colt, and it had been hundreds of years since the event that changed his life forever happened. Zecora nodded silently through his tale respectfully. “I understand your plight, caused by a being opposite of light. There is another I have met, she may still be here yet. Perhaps the two of you can work together, and both of you may change your fate for the better.” Emerald smiled. “Really? There’s another like me? Where is she?!” He shouted with excitement. “Calm down Emerald, you haven’t even settled! You should stay and rest, for you that would be best.” Zecora said, trying to keep Emerald from going out too soon. This made him frown. He did still feel a little bit tired… “Alright, I see your point… I’ll try to wait. But I can’t guarantee that I’ll rest much until the morning. I’m only capable of moving at night, so…” Emerald said, trailing off. “It is alright. For now, I must rest under the moonlight. If it is okay with you, I must bid you adieu.” With a smile, Zecora trotted off towards a dark green cot in the edge of her home, snuggling in and falling asleep. Emerald sighed, and looked around the place, wondering what he could do in the meantime... > First Contact > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4- First Contact Emerald sighed to himself, trotting around the tree silently. He was bored, and thankfully it was only almost midnight. Maybe he could walk around a bit. After all, there was a path leading from Zecora’s home, presumably to town. If he left a note, he could make it to town and explore it a little bit. He went back inside, grabbing a parchment and some ink he found, and with a careful hoof, wrote a note for Zecora to read if he didn’t make it back before sunrise. Smiling to himself, he decided to tape it to the cauldron in the middle of the room, since it was probably among the first things Zecora checked on in the day. Hoping for the best, Emerald went off on his way, carefully treading the dirt road. Soon, he made it to the edge of the forest, and trotted on as he saw a quaint looking town not that much farther. It only took a few minutes to get there, and he looked around as he approached it. The houses were mostly modest, simple cottages that most ponies lived in. Of course, there were several exceptions, such as the barn he had seen nearby, or the strange building that looked like it was made of gingerbread and other miscellaneous candies. Or the giant tree that seemed to be made out of crystals. If he remembered correctly, this was Ponyville, home to Twilight Sparkle, the Alicorn Princess of Friendship. How you could be a princess ruling over all of friendship, Emerald didn’t know. Maybe it was just a title? Shaking himself from his musings, he continued to trot around town. It was very quiet, since most ponies were asleep at this hour. Emerald silently took in every detail, each piece of wood, each loose stone on the ground, etc. He wanted to find this other pony who was apparently in a similar situation as he was, so that means they’d be wandering around at night like he was… right? Emerald continued to walk around. It was so peaceful at night… It was wonderful to move at night, he supposed. It was nice since he didn’t have to deal with all of those crazy ponies during the day. Then again, sometimes it got lonely. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers, eh? He was broken from his musings as he bumped into something roughly. He fell on his stone flank with a grunt, rubbing his head. Even if he were stone, it still hurt a little… Emerald looked up as he began to apologize. ¨I’m so sorry about that! I want looking where I was going, and...¨ He trailed off as he got a good look at the pony he had bumped into. The pony stood back up. She had a short, slightly curly mane that was off to the side. What stood out the most to Emerald, was that not only was the pony an alicorn, but she looked to be made of stone. “No, no. It should be me apologising. I didn’t mean to bump into you, mister…” She also trailed off as she looked at the stallion in front of her. The two ponies just stood there in stunned awe for a few seconds, not quite believing their eyes. “.... Uh… Hi..?” Emerald said hesitantly. He hadn’t really thought out what he’d say very well… Oh well, he could just wing it. Right? The mare stood there, silent for a few minutes, and just when he thought that he would need to reiterate himself, she spoke. “Erm… H-Hello…” The two stood there for a few minutes again in awkward silence. “... So, who are you?” Emerald coughed into his hoof, then put on a smile. “The name’s Emerald Flight, though I prefer to be called Emerald. Might I ask your name as well?” The mare giggled a little. “Well mannered, I see… Anyway, my name is Emily Heartsworth, but you can call me Emily.” She introduced herself with a grin, causing Emerald to chuckle sheepishly. “Nice to meet you…” He then stared at her. “...Are you truly like me..?” Emerald asked her, his face becoming serious. Emily hesitated for a moment, but decided to nod, seeing that they were most likely alike. The similarities were just too obvious to skip over. “So… Any idea on what to do now?” Emily shrugged. “I just wander around town, and look for a spot where I can be a statue and not be bothered in the day. Unless you count that as interesting, the night can be a little dull at times.” Emerald simply sighed. “Welp, it’s better than nothing… Let’s take a walk.” And with that, the two began to walk around town, side by side.